Monday, September 1, 2014

What is 3D Printing?

Perhaps you’ve heard of three-dimensional (3D)
printing, but are not sure what it really is. It is a process
of creating or duplicating a three dimensional
object by attaching thin layers of material together.
3D printing is also called “additive manufacturing,”
which is a more accurate name for it. This emerging
technology can use over 100 different materials to
manufacture a 3D object. Most of the common materials
are plastic, metal, and nylon.

3D printing was originally developed for the
space program. Today, many companies are testing
the possibilities. Currently there are many different
3D printers on the market. You can buy one for less
than $1000. The less expensive machines are small
and use plastic. The smaller the printer the more
limited you are as to the size of the objects you can
reproduce.

You must have a CAD design of a three dimensional
object before you can proceed to manufacture
it using a 3D printer. Another option would
be to scan an existing object and create a replica.
The process is more of a custom manufacturing of
objects. 3D Printers are not fast and they are not
meant to produce more than a few copies. In addition
to standard objects, they can also produce
moving parts.

Quick prototypes, manufacturing parts, or making
body parts are some of the applications for these
printers. 3D printers are hitting every market in all
shapes and sizes today, but their real strength for a
particular application is yet to be found!